For working musicians muscular tension
can be a lot more than a pain in the neck. Alexander Technique
teacher Glyn Williams looks at a way of bringing relief.
The audience may have enjoyed the concert but as the orchestra heads for the green room one or two players are not so happy. "I thought it would never end," says a violinist. "I must find a way of stopping this pain - I could hardly hold the bow." A clarinettist says: "I could play that passage in one breath a year ago and I was lucky to do it in two this time. It must be old age."
These are familiar scenes which musicians may encounter in their lives, but why do the problems occur? The violinist used to be able to practise for hours without any pain; the clarinettist used to have amazing breath control. What they do not realise is that there is a cause for all their problems, and once this is eliminated there will be no problem. People try to ignore and endure their difficulties until in the end they have to stop, give up, or seek specialist advice.
How can you go about finding a solution? There are many steps, methods and disciplines which are available, each equally valuable and with a specific purpose in mind. One of these is the Alexander Technique.
Nowadays, many people in sport, music and drama are taking Alexander lessons. These are based on the work of Frederick Matthias Alexander. He was an actor who specialised in Shakespearian one-man recitals. At an early age he developed vocal problems which resulted in the loss of voice during performance. Discovering that the medical profession could not sort out his problem, he decided to solve it for himself. For the next few years he observed how he did things, including how he spoke, eventually working out for himself how the mechanics of the body worked. He found that when his head, neck and back were in a certain relationship with each other, his muscles and bones worked to their best mechanical advantage.
The body, like a musical instrument, should be able to respond to whatever we want to do. It needs to be in tune and in good working order to function well. Musicians spend years developing amazing flexibility in their hands or vocal organs but tend to ignore the rest of the body as if it were of no value. They do not realise that the body creates an imbalance in other parts. This not only interferes with our ability to play or sing efficiently but can also create pain and much discomfort.
Many people try to cope with this by taking up some kind of physical activity in an attempt to alleviate their tensions, without realising that the more physical the exercise the more likely it is to increase the muscular tension already there. This defeats the object of the whole exercise and can cause further problems.
The Alexander Technique teaches how to relieve muscular tension. Once this is achieved, the body will tend to run more smoothly and efficiently. The Alexander teacher uses gentle manual guidance to encourage the student's muscles to relax. More important, he teaches the student how to continue the process for himself. It is similar to a music lesson where the teacher shows the pupil how to play his instrument.
The body has many reflexes which facilitate action. We tend to override these reflexes with tension, which hinders the natural flow of any movement. This wastes energy which could be used more positively.
As we are always under the influence of gravity, being more balanced prevents us collapsing under its influence. The added weight of an instrument will tend to encourage us to collapse even more. If we can increase the natural stretches in the body, the weight of the instrument will be more evenly distributed. Each instrument gives rise to distinct muscular patterns which are adopted by the players, which then becomes habitual.
Movement of any kind involves muscle contraction. Having contracted, the muscle should again lengthen (ie relax). Most people inhibit this response, with the result that they are literally holding on to their tension. This goes unnoticed sometimes for years until they experience pain. In the Alexander Technique we learn how to use the appropriate amount of effort in different activities.
Musicians tend to believe that as they get older their technique will also deteriorate with their physical state. This does not need to happen as much as they think. If they look after their bodies as much as one would a Stradivarius violin, they would have fewer aches and pains, and fewer technical problems. Musicians on the whole take more care of their instruments than they do of themselves, forgetting that it is through their body that they play their respective instrument. If we develop our poise and balance through becoming more centred and relaxed, then this will be reflected in the quality of the sound produced.
The maxim of "success at any cost" can be witnessed in many musicians. With their focus on the end result, they labour through hours of practice, pain and anguish. This endgaining approach could catch up with them physically as well as mentally later on in life and might even destroy their dream of success. The Alexander Technique offers a possible alternative route to success.
About the writer...
Glyn Williams is a freelance bassoonist and a teacher
of the Alexander Technique.